I’m now 4-5 in Raptors picks as Toronto (-5) was victorious over the Suns but by 4, 104-100. Tonight the Raptors play on the road at 7-5 Atlanta.
(12-2) Toronto Raptors @ (7-5) Atlanta Hawks
Probable starting line-ups:
Toronto – PG – Kyle Lowry SG – DeMar DeRozan C – Jonas Valanciunas SF – Terrence Ross PF – Amir Johnson
Atlanta – Point Guard – Jeff Teague Shooting Guard – Kyle Korver C- Al Horford Small Forward – DeMarre Carroll Power Forward – Paul Millsap
Stats Leaders:
Toronto – PPG – DeMar DeRozan 20.2 RPG – Jonas Valanciunas 8.1 APG – Kyle Lowry 6.1
Atlanta – Points Per Game – Jeff Teague 17.8 Rebounds Per Game – Paul Millsap 8.6 Assists Per Game – Jeff Teague 6.6
Team Scoring: (with league ranking in parentheses)
Toronto – PF – 106.7 (3rd) PA – 95.1 (6th)
Atlanta – Points For (Per Game) – 102.6 (11th) Points Against (Per Game) – 102.5 (25th)
Overview:
The Toronto Raptors have won 5 straight and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings at 12-2. On Monday they were victorious at home 104-100 versus the Suns. Center Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. He was 10 of 11 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line in 32 minutes. Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan netted 23 points on 7 of 20 shooting in 37 minutes. He also was 9 of 13 from the foul line. Shooting guard Louis Williams came off the bench to score 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting in 26 minutes. Point guard Kyle Lowry scored 14 points, dished out 8 assists, and grabbed 7 rebounds. He was 6 of 16 from the field in 38 minutes. Small forward Terrence Ross chipped in with 13 points on 4 of 11 shooting in 29 minutes. The team shot 45.1% from the field, 23.5% from the 3 point line (4-17), and 81.3% from the free throw line (26-32). They were out-rebounded 42-37. The Raptors took a 15 point lead in to the final quarter but had to hold on as they were out-scored 34-23 in the final period. Toronto is 3-1 on the road this season. Including tonight they play 4 of their next 5 games on the road.
After a 1-3 start the Atlanta Hawks have won 2 straight and 6 of their last 8 to improve to 7-5 on the season. Last night they were victorious at Washington 106-102. Point guard Jeff Teague led the way with 28 points on 8 of 18 shooting in 32 minutes. He was 12 of 14 from the free throw line. Power forward Paul Millsap had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He was 7 of 14 from the field in 33 minutes. Power forward Mike Scott came off the bench to score 17 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. He was 5 of 10 from the field in 22 reserve minutes. The team shot 44.4% from the field, 30.4% from the 3 point line (7-23), and 79.4% from the free throw line (27-34). They were out-rebounded by the Wizards 45-42. The team scored 38 points in the 4th quarter. Atlanta is 5-1 at home this season. Tonight is the 1st game of a 4 game home stand and 2nd game of a back to back. They are 1-1 in the 2nd game this season.
Toronto scored a 109-102 home win versus Atlanta in their first meeting this season. After tonight the teams are scheduled to play 2 more times this season.
Prediction:
The Hawks seem to have figured some things out after their poor 4 game start. Meanwhile the Raptors just keep rolling along. I expect this one to be close. The Raptors are excellent at home but they still have to prove some things on the road. Take the Hawks +3.5 (1.90) (Bet365)
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